Vietnam

Travel Guide Vietnam

Vietnam – a true jewel in Southeast Asia. Anyone travelling through the coastal nation on the South China Sea has a lot to discover, from lush green mountains, forests and rice terraces to beautiful beaches, colourful pagodas and turbulent cities. Another highlight: The Vietnamese cuisine which is hard to beat in terms of variety. Our Travel Guide Vietnam provides further information about the Southeast Asian country.

Our trips to Vietnam:

Volunteering Vietnam – Animal Welfare Da Nang

Highlights in Vietnam

Ha Long Bay is located in the northeast of Vietnam, in the province of Quang Ninh, and covers an area of about 1,500 km² in the Gulf of Tonkin. The main attraction here are the almost 2,000 limestone cliffs covered by rainforest, rising several hundred metres out of the turquoise blue water. The best way to explore the breathtaking scenery is by boat. And if you want to dive, climb and hike, the "Bay of the descending dragon" is also the right place for you. Ha Long Bay has been a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site since 1994.
Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam's largest city and is located in the south of the country. Until 1975 it was the capital of the country and was then still called Saigon. The city pulsates, there are countless restaurants, bars, cafés, hotels and shops. Sights in the commercial centre of Vietnam are the Central Post Office, Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon, the Jade Emperor Pagoda, the Independence Palace and the War Remnants Museum which deals with the events of the Vietnam War and the consequences for the population.
Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and is located in the north of the country, near the Chinese border. Founded in the 11th century, it is considered the oldest of the existing capitals of Southeast Asia. Idyllically situated at the Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi offers perfect conditions to switch off and pause. The best place to do this is in the historic old town or the colonial French quarter. The city also boasts hundreds of pagodas, cozy cafés, countless art galleries and the Train Street – an extremely narrow residential street through which a railway line, still in operation, runs.
The cities of Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An and Nha Trang are all located on the coast of Central Vietnam and offer numerous cultural and scenic attractions. Due to its many pagodas, lakes and gardens, the city of Hue – the former capital of Đàng Trong Kingdom – is a highlight itself. Its major attraction, though, is the 19th-century citadel and the Forbidden Purple City which have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993.

The city of Hoi An also fascinates with a beautiful and historic old town which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. From here, travellers can reach other exciting destinations when going on a day trip, such as the 3rd century temples of My Son, about 35 km away.

If you are looking for relaxation on beautiful beaches, you should definitely consider a stay in Vietnam's third largest city Da Nang as well as in Nha Trang, famous for crystal clear water, white beaches and picturesque palm trees.

Geography of Vietnam

Vietnam is an elongated coastal state in the east of the mainland of Southeast Asia. The country borders on China, Laos, Cambodia, the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea. The north-south extension of Vietnam is about 1,650 km. While the east-west width in the north of the country is up to 500 km, it is only 50 km at the narrowest point in Central Vietnam. The coast extends over a length of more than 3,400 km. The two most important cities in the country are the capital of Hanoi and the port city of Ho Chi Minh City which was the capital of the Republic of Vietnam under its old name Saigon until 1975.

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Geomorphology/Geology

While in the north and south of Vietnam the two fertile river deltas of the Hong River and the Mekong are located, the central part of the country is rather barren and dominated by mountains and forests. About 75% of Vietnam's territory consists of mountains and plateaus. In general, five landscapes can be distinguished:

Yunnan Highlands: mountainous landscape in the north of Vietnam on the border to China, this is also the location of Fansipan, the highest mountain of the country with about 3150 m
Hong River Delta: a fertile region around Hanoi whose tourist attractions include the limestone cliffs around Ninh Binh and Halong Bay as well as the Vietnamese capital
Central highlands: mountainous and sparsely populated backcountry of central and southern Vietnam
Coastal lowlands: narrow, yet relatively densely populated coastal strip between the mountains and the South China Sea in central and southern Vietnam
Mekong Delta: fertile, densely populated alluvial plain; the economic centre of Ho Chi Minh City is also located here

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Travel Tips and Trivia for Vietnam

In Vietnam you can travel by train, bus, taxi, ship, plane, bicycle, motor scooter/motorcycle. Especially motor scooters are by far the most common means of transport among locals and can be rented in many places, just like bikes. If you want to cover longer distances, possibly between two different cities, you should change to plane, train or coach. Renting a car is only allowed with a Vietnamese driving license but a rental car with a driver is a good alternative.
- 01 January: New Year's Day
- 30 April: Liberation Day
- 01 May: Labour Day
- 02 September: Independence Day
Moving holidays: Chinese New Year, Tết Nguyên Đán (Vietnamese New Year), Day of the Hùng Kings
Dos
- Try the Vietnamese cuisine – it is incredibly diverse, quite healthy and simply delicious. The national dish of the country is Pho, a noodle soup with various meat and vegetable side dishes, which is available on almost every street corner.
- Bargain! Especially when buying souvenirs. Trading for prices is pretty much an integral part of Vietnamese culture. It is important to be polite and relaxed, to be realistic and not to haggle over pennies.
- Politeness and respect – these two things are very important in Vietnamese society. Whether in greeting and addressing a person, in conversation, in behaving as a guest or in the choice of clothing, there are some customs and formulas that one should master.
Don’ts
- Exchanging of kisses and hugs of couples in public – here one should rather hold back.
- The wrong clothing in temples and pagodas: Before entering a holy place, shoes must be taken off as a matter of principle, shoulders and knees must be covered, when sitting, soles of feet should not point at people or religious artifacts – cross-legged sitting is recommended.
- Hesitation when crossing a road – because whoever hesitates has already lost. Anyone who is on the road in a big city and sees the "wall" of motorcycles, motor scooters, cars and buses coming closer and closer is probably quite scared. The golden rules in any case: start walking, don't stop, look ahead and neither hesitate nor rush. If you are not quite comfortable with this baptism of fire, it is best to stay in the shadow zone of a local.

Climate in Vietnam

The climate of Vietnam depends strongly on whether you are in the northern or southern part of the country. The north is characterised by a subtropical alternating climate, with a hot season from May to October and a cooler season from November to April. The annual temperatures range between 15°C and 33°C.

The south, however, is tropical. It is warm to hot all year round, with November to January usually being comparatively cooler. Temperatures are about between 21°C and 35°C. Between May and October there is also a rainy season which is often accompanied by strong typhoons.

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Flora and Fauna in Vietnam

Vietnam is characterised by an incredibly high biodiversity.

More than 14,000 different plant species can be found in the country, about 10% of which are endemic. After those in the Amazon region, Vietnam's mangrove forests are the largest in the world. Because of their unique natural features, Ha Long Bay and Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites. There are about 30 other national parks in the country.

Vietnam's fauna includes about 120 amphibian, 260 reptile, 850 bird and 7750 insect species. More than 1400 species of microalgae and almost 2500 species of fish live in the waters off the coast. Vietnam is also home to about 310 mammal species, including tigers, the Asian elephant, sun bears, marbled cats, and various species of primates, even-toed ungulates, bats and rodents. Only in recent decades, other new species were described, including the Edwards's pheasant, the saola, the giant muntjac and the highly endangered Tonkin snub-nosed monkey. Due to ongoing forest destruction, however, Vietnam's flora and fauna is under severe threat.

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Social Geography of Vietnam

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An estimated 90 million people live in Vietnam. Almost 90% of them are Viet or Kinh, and 53 other ethnic minority groups are known to exist. About 30% of the population lives in the densely populated regions around the Mekong and Hong River estuary deltas. However, migration from the rural, economically less developed areas to the urban areas continues to increase.

Due to the Vietnam War or political persecution, many Vietnamese have left the country in recent decades. Thus, there are now around 2.5 million Vietnamese living abroad, most of them in the USA, Cambodia, Japan, France and Australia.
Vietnam's official language is Vietnamese which is spoken by almost 90% of the population as their mother tongue. Since the mid-1940s, the language has been written in its own Latin-based script. With the end of the French colonial period, the French language gradually lost its official status in the country, but it continues to be very important as often the first foreign language taught. Nowadays, English is also taught in most schools.
The transformation from a centrally administered economy to a social market economy has led to rapid economic growth in Vietnam. Vietnam is now considered an attractive investment location for international companies.

The country's economy is particularly characterised by agriculture (rice, coffee, tea, sugar, fish, rubber, etc.). Vietnam also plays a leading role in the export of these agricultural products but also oil, textiles and shoes. Furthermore, the tourism sector is becoming increasingly important for the country.
Vietnam's system of government is a socialist one-party system in which the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) is the single party and thus claims a monopoly on the leadership of state and society. The country is mainly led by the General Secretary of the CPV, the Prime Minister and the President. The political structure of the country makes it difficult for Vietnamese citizens to fully enjoy basic rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of assembly.

Vietnam's crime rate is considered low and there is little violent crime against foreigners. However, like everywhere else in the world, there are occasional incidents of petty crime, especially theft but also attempted fraud, especially in tourist areas.